Coleman Rocky Mountain 5 Tent Review and More

 

Coleman Rocky Mountain 5 Tent Review

The weather has been absolutely amazing in the last few weeks so it has been the perfect opportunity to try out our new Coleman Rocky Mountain 5 Tent. Considering the size of the pitched tent, this compacts down into a strong, zip up bag with carry handles, weighing 15.8kg and just 73cm x 30cm x 30cm in size.

Sewn on the inside of the bag are the instructions for putting up the tent and honestly, this tent was super easy to set up. There are just 3 poles to put together and slide into the mesh pole sleeves. Thankfully, the poles are colour-coded so it made it even simpler to know which pole goes where. The sleeves are pre-shaped so make it easy to push the poles through, which also increase head height within the tent. The poles are strong and light-weight and once in place, they helped create an aero dynamic structure, perfect for stormy weather. To see a video of the Coleman Rocky Mountain 5 Tent being set up click here.

We tightened the guy ropes, pushed the pegs in and stood back to admire the tent. It stands at 195cm tall with a width of 335cm and length of 470cm, so absolutely huge. Aside from the size, Vicky was very pleased that the polyester groundsheet was sewn in, able to keep the bugs out and I was happy to find out that the fire retardant material was water and wind tested, so knew we would have a comfortable time inside no matter what the weather! This tent is even more amazing- the material has a SPF50 so is able to guard everyone from the harsh ultra violet rays.

It was so light, spacious and very comfortable even before our camping things went inside. After being so quick to erect (just 10 minutes on our first attempt) we were ready to insert the bedroom…

My favourite part of this tent, that makes it different to others I have used in the past, is the ingenious blackout bedroom insert. This is so easy to put up. First, you have to attach it securely to the corner, floor and ceiling by the clips. You then just fasten it to the hooks along the inside of the tent. After doing this, we decided to attach the bedroom divider which meant we could go from one bedroom to two. This was purely for us to use the second room as storage. However, it would be perfect for family camping or to ensure extra privacy if sharing the tent with friends.

The blackout rooms are a superb feature and really did help us both have a great night’s sleep. Just like blackout curtains in your bedroom, the design blocks out 99% of daylight, which is perfect in the summer months when the nights are much lighter for longer and helped us get to sleep quickly. For even more comfort whilst camping, the internal temperature is about 5 degrees cooler during the day and about 1 degree warmer at night due to the nature of the fabric.

Coleman Tent Mountain

The tent itself is really a home from home and is super comfortable with generous space. There are two doors- one large doorway at the front and another at the side- ensuring you get a nice airy space to camp in.

There are also large windows on the front and side panels. As these windows are a crystal clear PVC, they provide a lot of visibility and are fantastic at bringing in lots of natural light into the tent’s main area.

However, for more privacy and also during the night time, each window has curtain covers. This is also great to prevent any extra light entering the bedrooms at night. The features don’t stop there! On the windows and doors, there are mesh zip up covers to help keep the bugs at bay. At the rear of the tent, there is a ventilated mesh panel which allowed us to control the air flow into the tent preventing condensation inside and made it even more comfy to stay in.

As well as a useful loop on the ceiling to hang up a lantern in the evenings, I loved the storage pockets in the centre of the tent. They were so useful to have. We stored books, sandals and electrical things inside so didn’t lose anything and could keep the tent neat and tidy. It also meant we could continue to have lots of space during the stay and kept our smaller items organised.

This tent is absolutely fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone- families, couples, groups of friends etc. Being so easy to pitch, gave us one less thing to worry about and we could just enjoy our camping weekend knowing we would be comfortable, warm and have a good night’s sleep in a nice dark bedroom.

 

Coleman Maxi Comfort Bed Raised King Review

I was so excited to try out our new airbed. Not just any old airbed, this is the Coleman Maxi Comfort Bed Raised King. It is amazing – literally the best airbed I have ever slept on. Our friends had one and after they raved about it, I finally decided to follow suit and got one for our own camping adventures.

It arrived, neatly stored in a Wrap n Roll integrated carry bag and although quite heavy at 7kg, I felt that, considering the size of the bed itself, it rolled down to a modest size. The carry handle makes the airbed easy to transport from the car to the campsite too. The Wrap n Roll system is really great basically you roll the airbed up and then the pre-attached fabric case wraps around the outside of the airbed. This keeps it stored safely and is much easier than trying to get an airbed into a storage bag.

After putting up the tent (see above), we unrolled the airbed and lay it flat, ready to fill it with air. The airbed is super easy and quick to inflate. I was so surprised at how big this bed actually is (198 x 152 x 46 cm) and worried that it could be quite heavy. Thankfully, it was easy to manoeuvre around the tent to one of the black-out rooms once it was fully inflated and had excellent firmness.

Due to the Advanced Double Lock valve system (it has two valve sealing points), it ensured that no air escaped whilst moving the bed around, pumping it up and also when sleeping on it. The fabric is a strong polyester and laminated PVC so it works well to prevent punctures and is comfy to lie on.

What I noticed the most, aside from how firm I was able to make it, was the fact Vicky and I could move around on one side of the bed and the other person not feel as if they were on a trampoline. This is because of the dual chamber construction. It really does help to provide a very comfortable night’s sleep and as the airbed is actually the height of a normal bed, it is really easy to get in and out of. I really am very impressed with the airbed and am excited about taking it on future camping trips.


 

Campingaz Powerbox Plus 28L 12/230V Electric Cooler Review

The final new item we took on our camping trip was the Campingaz Powerbox Plus 28L 12/230V active cooler. This cool box is a fantastic addition to our camping gear. I’ve always owned a couple traditional cool boxes which have proved useful in the past, but the ice packs never stay frozen for long, therefore the food inside has a short lifespan on a campsite. Plus, if you don’t have many icepacks, the cold temperature doesn’t spread very well inside.

CAMPINGAZ POWERBOX ELECTRIC COOLER

What makes the Powerbox Plus so different is the fact that it runs on electricity and even has a 12V car plug-in so it can continue to work on any car journey. It is so efficient and keeps the contents at 18 degrees below the ambient temperature, so as long as it is plug in, it will act as a fridge for your whole journey and for longer. In the boot of my car there is a 12V socket which was really handy and allowed me to keep the fridge plugged in all the way to the campsite.

CAMPINGAZ POWERBOX PLUS 230V ELECTRIC COOLER

At first, I did think this cooler was quite noisy, especially when plugged in overnight when I was trying to sleep. However, I then discovered that it has a switch to turn the fan to NIGHT Mode, this makes it a lot quieter and perfect to use anywhere, at any time. There are actually 4 modes to choose from on the dial. As well as the NIGHT Mode, you can also choose ECO Mode (this option uses less power), MAX Mode (which is the ultimate cooling performance) and also OFF Mode so no need to unplug the cooler to switch it off. As well as the inbuilt fan, the cooler is injected with PU foam to help keep the temperature consistent inside and also features an Antimicrobial Liner to prevent mould and mildew.

CAMPINGAZ POWERBOX PLUS ELECTRIC COOLER

On the way to the campsite, we stopped off at the supermarket to buy food for the week. Because the capacity of the cooler is a whopping 28L, we could fit loads of food inside to last the whole week. We plugged it into the car and continued our journey, knowing that it was keeping the food super cool. It also has a lid that securely ‘clicks’ on close, again another feature to ensure the contents remains cold.

CAMPINGAZ POWERBOX PLUS 28L ELECTRIC COOLER

Although the cooler is large in size (LxHxW: 41 x 47x 32 cm), the carry handle makes this easy to transport to your destination. It is very fit for purpose and made our trip even more enjoyable (and cheaper) as we didn’t have to keep buying food each day. It is such a useful gadget to have and I know we will be using it a lot, be that to store drinks at a party, having a BBQ on the beach, keeping food cool in the car on a day trip or using it as a fridge during longer trips away.

CAMPINGAZ POWERBOX PLUS 28L 12 230V ELECTRIC COOLER

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